At Landshipping Quay this morning, 100+ teal were feeding in
the channel (a week ago there were hardly any there). A nice flock of 40+
redshanks was also resting on the tide edge. Approx.30 greylags were on the
opposite shore near Fowborough Point. A small number of goldcrests and
chiffchaffs in the hedge close to home were probably new arrivals first thing
this morning.
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| Some
of the redshanks resting on an algal-dominated lawn at Landshipping Quay. Extensive mats of surface
algae (probably linked to nutrient enrichment) dominate much of the estuary
sediment surface at this time of year.
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Early this evening another walk around Pembroke Millponds
revealed 40+ black-tailed godwits resting in the shallows of the upper millpond.
Later 70-80 arrived at the Castle Pond (they were flying in from various
directions and birds from the upper pond were most likely involved). The Finnish
black-headed gull was still present, resting with other unringed gulls on the
Castle Pond shore.
The spotted redshank was still in its usual spot downstream
of the Castle Pond sluice and the lesser yellowlegs was still present on the
Castle Pond shore. We noticed that it was calling quite a lot more than the
previous times we’d watched it. The water level in the channel was also much
higher than it had been at the weekend.
At more or less exactly 17:45hrs we heard it
continually uttering its distinctive clear, high-pitched disyllabic call as it appeared to be towering into
the sky heading away in the direction of Bush Hill. Was it finally leaving the
area, or just making a foray to somewhere else nearby? We had a look at
Cosheston Pill just in case it had moved over there but didn’t relocate it
among the redshanks there. It will be interesting to see if it reappears
at the Castle Pond, or anywhere else?
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| The lesser yellowlegs with 2 black-tailed godwits just before if flew off in the direction of Bush Hill. |
